William lawrence



(No Model.) 2'8heetf-Sheet 2.

W. L'AWRENCE.-

ELECTRIG ENGINE. No. 503,487. Patented Au'g. 15, 1893.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

WVILLIAM LA\VRENCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE LA\VRENCE ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LECTR!C ENGlNE.

SPEC'EICAIIN forming part of .etters Patent No. 503,487, dated August 15, 1893.

Application filed August 17, 1892. Serial No. 443,323. (No modal.)

Ta aZZ whom it may concorn: arms or bars are pivotally secured the driv- Beit known that I, WILLIAM LAWRENCE, a ing rods D, Which connect at their opposite citizen of the United States, residing at the ends with connecting rods D; said rods D in city of New York,in the county of New York turn being suitably journaled on the eranks and State of New York,have invented a new E of the axles E.

and useful Electrio Engine, of which the fol- To the under side of the bed F which carlowing is a specification. ries the mechanism are attached four sets of My invention relates to improvements in electric contact brushes G, said brushes being electric street car-engines, and has for its obfork-shaped, and preferably formed from a jects, among others, first,to provide a machine continuons strip or piece. Said brushes G are which is capable of propulsion without tl1e connected with an operating rod or bar H by use of gears, &c.; second, to produce a greater arxns 12 (best shown in Fig. 3), and are open amount of power With less electric cnrrent; ated by said rod or bar II and a lever I from and third,to provide meanswhereby the mecheither end of the car. The current is taken I 5 anism may be started, stopped, and reversed from the track by the wheels of the car and by a single lever, a description of which impasses thence through the axles E, and conprovements Will appear hereunder. tacts a, sitnate thereon,to the forked brushes In my invention the power is applied di- G, whence 113 is conveyed alternately by one rectly to the axles of the machine from the member of the brushes throngh the wires L 20 magnet plates or armatures through suitable and magnets A.

connecting rods. A current distribnter J consisting of a plate I Will 110W proceed to describe my invention, of any suitable conducting material, and of referenee being had to the accompanying any desired shape and size, is secured to the drawings forming a part of this specification. bed F of the machine by screws, bolts, or 0th- 2 5 Similar letters of reference indicate correerwise, and its f unction is to reeeive a current sponding parts in the different figures. et electricity, and distribute the current Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section through the wiresL 130 the magnets A. of a car showing the magnets, armatures, and The operation of my improved mechanism connecting rode in their operative positions. is as followsz4Vhen the lever I is in the po 30 Fig.2 is an inverted plan view of myimproved sition shown in Fig. 1, the car Will move in apparatus showing clearly all the meehanism the direction shown by the arrow, the current employed. Fig.3isaperspective view of the passing in from the track or underground shafts, connecting rode, and brushes, also the wire. In the former instance the current is rod for controlling the brushes, which in turn taken from the track by the wheel and passes 5 control the ourrent of eleetricity, and start, through the axle and is then taken from the stop, and reverse the car. Fig. 4 is a perspecaxle and conveyed to one pole of the magnets tive view 01: a set of magnets and armature by the brushes G and wires L; while in the employed in mymachine. Fig. 5 is a perspecother case the current is taken from an untive view showing a modified form of apparaderground service and conveyed to the cur- 40 tus, wherein the magnets are plaoed horizonrent distributer and thence through the wires tally one above the other, the armature hav- L to the opposite pole of the magnets and to ing a lateral movement, and a direct connecthe wheels and tracks forming a complete cirtion being formed between said armature and cuit, and attracting the armatures, alternately .the crank shaft by means of a conneoting rod. causing them to communicate motion to the 5 Referring to the drawings, it Will be seen axles through the driving rode previously 5 that four sets of electro magnets A are emmentioned. To reverse the mechanism the ployed, each of which sets are provided with lever I is pushed in the opposite direction,

a vertically, moving armature B. Connected which movement reverses the positions of the With or depending from these armatures B brushes, causing the cranks to operate re- 50 are arme or bars 0 to the outer onde of which versely, and thus move the bar in the oppo- 1oc f in a vertical position relatively to said magnets, whereby said armature will have a lateral moverflcnt. A direct connection is made between said armature and one end of the driving shaft E by means of drive rod D, which in this modification is seen te ne pivotally connected directly with the armature. The said drive rod -is suitably journaled at its other end to the crank of the driving shaft E.

Although I have described and illustrated my invention as applicable to the propulsion of a car in connection With an underground current of electricity, I am well aware that the mechanism herein shown may be employed for stationary engines as well as for the propulsion of boats in connection with an y known electrical storage system. Consequently I do not wish to limit myself to the use of my invention for propelling cars.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat 1. In an electric propelling apparatus one or more pairs of electro magnets secured in and to a suitable bed, an armature for said magnets, an arm connected to and operated by said armature, a rod pivotally secured to the lower end of said arm and connecting With a rod which is journaled to the cranks formed directly on the axis, all substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

2. In an electric propelling apparatus an electro magnet secured in and to a suitable bed, an armature for said magnet, au arm connected to and operated by said armature, a rod 'pivotally secured to said arm and connecting with cranks for turning axles, contact points suitably secured to the axles for opening and closing circuits, clectric contact brushes secured to the bed and a roduor bar for operating said brushcs, and levers connected With said rod or bar for controlling the movement of same, and thereby the current of electricity, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an electric propelling apparatus one or more pairs of electro magnets secured in and to a suitable bed, an armature for said magnets, an arm connected to and operated by said armature and magnets, a rod pivotally secured to the lower end of said arm and connecting with a rod which is journaled to the cranks formed directly on the axle, contact points suitably secured to the axle for opening and closing the circuits, electric contact brushes secured to the bed and operated by a rod or bar and levers and controlling the movement of said brushes, substantially as shown and described.

4. The improvements in electric controlling apparatus consisting of a forked brush formed from a continuous strip or piece, an arm connected Witl1 said brush, for moving the latter, a rod or bar connected with said arm and adapted to be operated from either end, and a lever for operating said rod or bar t0 control the movement of the apparatus andalso the current of electricity substantially as shown and described.

5. The improvements in electric controlling apparatus consistingof a forked brush formed from a continuous strip or piece pivoted to the bed of the machine, au arm secured to said pivot for moving the brushes vertically, whieh arm is connected to a rod or bar and adapted to be operated from eithcr end of the apparatus by a lever, and thereby control the movement of the apparatus, substantiaily as shown and described.

6. Four or more sets of magnets, armatures therefor cranks and connections between said armatures and said cranks, said cranks being set at angles to cach other, combined with contacts and brushes theref0r, said brushes being arranged to be moved to bring one member at a time into engagement with said contacts, whereby the cranks Will be moved in opposite directions according to the positions of said brushes, substantially as described.

WILLIAM LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

ALEXD. M. L0WRY, GEO. G. COLEGATE. 

